1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of paint applicators having a self contained supply of paint in general, and in particular to a paint applicator having a split air flow pressurization to both force and disperse a supply of paint delivered to an applicator surface.
2. Description of Related Art
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,539,268; 4,175,300; 4,842,432; 4,997,302; 5,769,769, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse paint rollers having a supply of paint delivered under pressure directly to the roller surface.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical hand held paint roller applicator handle construction having an air pump arrangement that both pressurizes a paint containing reservoir for delivery of paint to a roller, but which also assists in the pressurization and distribution of the paint along a porous paint roller axle.
As most people who employ paint rollers are all too well aware, the major drawback with this type of device is the repeated need to replenish the supply of paint on the exterior surface of the paint roller.
As a result, several prior art attempts as mentioned above have been developed to address this system by supplying paint under pressure into the interior of the hollow paint roller. Unfortunately, these prior art constructions were either two unwieldily in that they required a stationary paint reservoir that delivered paint under pressure through a long flexible hose to the roller applicator. Or, as in the case of the Simonette patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,302) required an extremely long handled reservoir that would serve as a pumping station to deliver paint to the roller surface.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need for a new and improved and practical paint roller handle construction that would closely resemble the non-powered manual paint roller handles that are in common usage today, but which would also be intended to deliver a pressurized supply of paint to the porous roller surface, and the provision of such a construction is a stated objective of the present invention.